ISLAMABAD: Despite a humiliating first-round exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan cricket team have qualified for the next edition of the tournament to be held in 2026, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday.
Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2024 held last month in the United States and West Indies after successive losses to the United States and India. The green shirts’ victories over Group A teams Canada and Ireland were not enough to take it to the Super Eights stage of the tournament.
The 2026 edition in Sri Lanka and India will once again be a 55-match affair, with the tournament to be played in the same format, with four groups of five, before two Super Eights groups, semifinals and a final to crown the next champion.
“Despite missing out on the Super Eights, Babar Azam’s men meanwhile secured their place at the next edition thanks to their T20I ranking (7th), alongside New Zealand (6th) and Ireland (11th),” the ICC said on its website.
The global cricket governing body said Sri Lanka and India take up the first two spots for the next World Cup since they are hosts of the tournament. The next 10 spots were determined by Super Eight qualifiers at the 2024 edition, and ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings at the 30 June cut-off date.
Thanks to their strong first-round play and entry to the Super Eights, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies all secured 2026 T20 World Cup spots, ICC said.
The USA, who defeated Pakistan in a shock upset in the World Cup to steal a second-round spot in Group A, have also qualified for the next World Cup.
“The final eight teams for the 2026 edition will be decided by regional qualifiers, in a similar pathway to that of 2024 qualifying,” the ICC said.
The number of qualification spots per region is to be confirmed, though.
Pakistan qualify for T20 World Cup 2026 despite poor show in 2024 edition
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Pakistan qualify for T20 World Cup 2026 despite poor show in 2024 edition
- Pakistan qualify for T20 World Cup 2026 based on their number seven T20I ranking, says ICC
- The next World Cup will also be a 55-match affair to be played in India and Sri Lanka
Marmoush, Salah strike as Egypt edge out holders Ivory Coast in quarter-final
- Egypt wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute
- That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance
AGADIR, Morocco: Omar Marmoush netted the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 triumph in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Center back Rami Rabia was the other scorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semifinal meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.
An own goal from Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for the Ivory Coast, winners of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champions.
Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy pinched the ball from Franck Kessie in the midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to thread a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still needed to shrug off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before slotting home.
But it quickly became clear the Ivorians were going to dominate possession, showing much more physical strength on the ball but without setting up clear chances.
Egypt went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his side further ahead from a corner.
The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
